


Childhood Memories

by PhoenixPaladin



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: F/F, Family, Femslash, Fluff, Humor
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-18
Updated: 2016-04-22
Packaged: 2018-06-03 03:07:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,256
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6594232
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PhoenixPaladin/pseuds/PhoenixPaladin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of short stories based on Rae D. Magdon's TBE universe centered around the childhoods of the blueberries and grape.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Aria and Tevos are cockblocked for several nights running because Corrie doesn't want to sleep by herself

**Author's Note:**

  * For [RaeDMagdon](https://archiveofourown.org/users/RaeDMagdon/gifts).



> **AN:** Everything posted here is done so with Rae's approval and all credit for the universe go to her and Bioware respectfully. I'll be mostly writing about my headcanons and stealing ideas from her tumblr (if you don't follow her already you should totally do so). ^^
> 
> Filling two Anon TBE headcanons from Rae’s tumblr. I also headcanon that a new genre of pre-apocalypse horror came out of all of Javik’s jokes about eating “primitive” species.  
>  **ANONYMOUS SAID:** Aethyta shows the kids a scary movie. Berries start asking questions about death and guts and stuff like some kids do. ("Dad, would you die if this...?" Or "Dad, what happens if..." Course, Shep gets these questions because that's her luck.) Meanwhile, poor Corrie hated the movie and won't admit it, so Aria and Tevos are cockblocked for several nights running because Corrie doesn't want to sleep by herself. Aethyta is no longer allowed to pick movies and Aria is extra grumpy at her.  
>  **ANONYMOUS SAID:** About Corrie cockblocking. I've always headcanoned Corrie as a daddy's girl growing up. Tevos would try to send Corrie back to her own bed after the third night and Aria would persuade Tevos to let the kid stay (even if it means she's not going to get any).

Aria prowled towards her bondmate. The only sounds in the room were the squeak of leather and Tevos’ heavy breathing. She didn’t even bother removing her jacket before pinning the chancellor against the wall. Their lips crashed together a bruising kiss.

“Aria…” Tevos breathed out the name of her lover as a shiver ran down her spine. This was the first time they had been alone in the past three days. After Lycoris’ last movie night at the T’Soni residence, the toddler had been glued to her parents’ sides.

“It’s only been three days and you’re already like this.” Aria pressed a knee between the other woman’s legs. She could feel the heat from Tevos’ azure even through the leather pants. “I’ve fucked whores with more control.”

Tevos’ cheeks burned with embarrassment, “Please… I need you…”

Aria ground her knee harder against Tevos’ clit but refused to do more. Tevos parted her lips and let out a whimper followed by a… sniffle? Aria turned her head towards the door and calmed her breathing. Another sniffle, this time more defined than the last.

“I thought you put the kid to bed?” Aria took a step back from her shivering lover. The third sniffle that filtered through dragged out a heavy sighed. The frustration that had built up over the past few days wanted her to continue but she knew she couldn’t leave their daughter crying in the hallway. “Stay. I’m going to put the kid back to bed and you and I are going to finish.”

As much as she wanted to believe her bondmate, Tevos knew better. Aria could never be strict with their daughter when tears were involved. As Aria walked towards the door, Tevos grabbed a fresh pair of clothes and ducked into the adjoining bathroom to clean up.

The bedroom door opened with a muted woosh. Before Aria could even take a step forward, a small body rolled backwards and a crest poked into her knee.

Lycoris let out a startled cry that was soon followed by a high pitched hiccup. A short stubby hand reached out to grab a hold of Aria’s pants while the other tightened its grip on a Blasto doll.

“What are you’re doing, kid?” Aria kneeled down to get a better look at the sniffling child.

Lycoris’ cheeks were tear stained and fresh ones pooled at the corner of her eyes. Instead of answering her father’s question, she buried her face against Aria’s pants.

When it became evident that Lycoris wasn’t going to answer, Aria tried another approach. “Did you have a nightmare?”

Lycoris nodded, face still plastered against Aria’s leg. Unfortunately, the movement only confirmed Aria’s fears. A thick trail of snot strung between her leather pants and the child’s nose.

_‘These pants got ruined before the kid showed up anyways,’_ Aria rationalized. She tried to dismiss her annoyance, both at her ruined pants and her ruined plans. “Do you want to come in?”

Lycoris gave another faint nod as she got to her feet but froze before Aria could usher her inside.

“What now?”

“Mama said its ‘Daddy alone time’,” Lycoris was clearly conflicted on whether it was ok to enter.

Aria sighed, surely this would come to bite her later. “Sometimes rules are meant to be broken. Now get in there before I change my mind.”

Lycoris’ face instantly lit up. She wiped her nose with one of Blasto’s tentacles before bounding into the room.

Tevos was waiting for them, dressed and partially covered by plush comforters.

Lycoris only stopped bouncing when she came face to face with the edge of the bed. Her shoulders barely reached the top and she had to jump to swing one leg up. The tip of her tongue peeked out between her lips as she struggled to pull herself the rest of the way. Just as Tevos was about to help, a crackling blue light surrounded Lycoris’ swinging foot. The light flickered in and out a few times before the tiny foot started floating higher and higher. Unfortunately, turning the biotics off proved to be a bigger challenge. She dangled in the air by her foot for a few seconds before dropping down with a thud.

After regaining her bearings, Lycoris snuggled under the covers. “Mama, Daddy said I can sleep with you. Can Blasto stay too? The let me keep him. She says he’ll fight the scary Protheans that wants to eat us.”

Tevos ran a hand over Lycoris’ crest affectionately, “Of course, my darling. Now come closer to give your father room.”

Lycoris looked over at her father, unfazed by the arms crossed across her chest and the scowl tugging at her lips. Aria had changed out of her leather pants and jacket into something more appropriate for bed. Lycoris scooted over about half an inch before getting enveloped by a biotic pull. With a flick of Aria's wrist, the child was pushed next to Tevos. It wasn’t uncommon for Lycoris to wake up on Aria’s side, or even on top of Aria, when she slept with her parents. Aria never had the heart to move the child and disturb her sleep.

Not even ten minutes passed before Lycoris was fast asleep. She hugged Blasto tightly against her chest while snuggled into her father’s side.

“This is the last night she’s sleeping with us,” Aria huffed in a barely audible whisper.

Tevos hummed in amusement, “That’s what you said last night, dear heart.”

“If we can’t get time alone at home, I’m going to your office. Meetings or no meetings.”

“I’ve already arranged with Shepard and Liara to have Corrie sleep over tomorrow… and they’ve assured me that Aethyta won’t be picking the movie this time.” Tevos reached over and laced her fingers with Aria’s. A few decades ago she couldn’t even imagine sharing her bed with a lover. Now there she was with a bondmate and daughter.

Tevos leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on top of Lycoris’ crest. “Good night, my loves.”


	2. My Little Varren: Friendship is Survival

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did it! My Little Varren: Friendship is Survival is now a thing... even if it's pure crack. Thanks to Rae for coming up with the MLP reference.

NEXT TIME ON My Little Varren: Friendship is Survival…

_“Don’t do it, Twilight Nova! You can’t fight Nightmare Maw by yourself!” Rainbow Lash floated down in front of Twilight Nova’s path. Her large body spanning the length of the narrow Cliffside. She raised her hind legs in the air, as if ready to pounce._

_From behind her, Twilight Nova could feel the ground shaking. The thundering roar of a varren stampede was drawing closer and closer. She couldn’t stay. The safety of her pack depended on it._

_“We’re with you! We’ll fight her together,” Sentry was the first to catch up. Her gray and brown stripes waved as she gulped in air. She was a forager, not a battle varren used to running long distances._

_“Sentry is right! We’re a pack now! Together!” A gray and red-stripped varren roared but before the sounds finished leaving her throat, she dropped down to the ground and rolled onto her back in submission, “That is… if you want us to come.”_

_Two more varren ran up on either side of Twilight Nova, tail wagging and big, buggy eyes glimmering. Pinkie Pull and Assault Jack each nuzzled at the yellow-stripped varren with the feeler on the top of their heads. It was a sign of affection and respect._

_“Statis Shy is right. We have to stick together. Princess Thessia sent us on this missions as a pack so we could keep each other safe. You don’t need to protect us, Twilight.” Rainbow Lash stepped closer to Twilight Nova and joined the group. Before long, the entire pack was huddled together, sharing in each other’s scents._

_“All right, everyone. We’ll find the Elements of Zero together. Let’s go!” Twilight Nova snapped her jaws towards the direction of the cliff. This would be a hard mission, but together, their friendship would keep them alive._

* * *

“What are you doing, Di?” Athena looked away from the projector when the credits started rolling. The sight before her was just bizarre, even by little sister standards. Diana was sprawled on the ground, face nearly kissing the floor as the back of crest was used to rub up against the chin of their pet varren.

Diana stopped to look up at her sister, “I’m part of Vaky’s packe.”

Athena rolled her eyes. _‘For Athame’s sake. She’s sooooooooooooooo weeeeeeeeeeirrrrrrrrddddddd!’_ Without saying a word, she slipped off the couch and went over to the fridge where several markers hung by magnetic strips. Unfortunately, they were just slightly out of reach. After several failed attempts at jumping, she took a step back and paused.

A biotic light flickered in and out around several of the magnets. Athena’s arm was stretched towards the markers as she flexed her hand in an open and closed motion. Although all Asari children are born with biotic abilities, being able to harness those powers didn’t come naturally. Liara had only recently begun Athena’s training with the simple biotic pull and she hadn’t quite mastered it yet.

Her arm yanked back towards her torso and she looked up expectantly. Nothing happened. Athena stuck her bottom lip out in a frustrated pout. Ever the stubborn child, she tried again, this time using a lot more force. When she yanked her arm back a second time, the markers went flying. Three markers clattered to the floor, two landed on the nearby countertop, two others floated in the air, trapped in what looked like an oblong shaped stasis field.

Athena was too focused on her goal to care about the unstable biotic energy. She scopped up the fallen markers and ran back to the living room. To her relief, Diana had stopped her strange bonding ritual and was quietly petting the varren on the floor.

“Hold Vakarian for a minute. I want to try something,” Athena sat down on the other side of the varren and uncapped the yellow marker.

Diana did as she was told, wrapping her small hands around the varren’s collar. “Whatcha doing?”

“Just stuff…” Athena mumbled, not in the mood to share until she finished her masterpiece.

Diana waited for what felt like an eternity, a full circle of the second hand on the clock, before standing up. She kept hold of Vakarian’s collar but jumped up and down to try and peek at what Athena was doing over the varren’s massive body.

“Stop trying to peek!” Athena snapped.

“Why are you making Vaky’s white parts yellow?”

“‘cause.”

“‘cause why?”

With every new question, Diana’s voice was getting loud and louder. Athena sighed and decided to appease her sister’s curiosity before their parents got suspicious. “I’m going to color him up like Twilight Nova.” She uncapped the blue marker and started doodling a star on the varren’s thigh.

“I wanna join! I want Assut Jack,” Diana exclaimed happily. Assault Jack was her favorite My Little Varren character. As a non-biotic varren, Assault Jack relied on her physical strength to charge and pin down her enemies. Diana had practiced the moves more than once on their poor family pet, much to his dismay.

Without waiting for Athena’s permission, Diana picked up a red marker and began shading the varren’s other side. With one hand holding the marker and the other holding the cap, she had to let go of the collar. The varren took the opportunity and sprinted out of the room with a yelp.

A loud gasp came from across the apartment followed by Shepard’s booming voice. “Athena? Diana? What _happened_?”

Before Athena could think of an excuse, Shepard entered the living room, Vakarian following closely at her heels. Shepard crossed her arms across her chest and stared down at her children. Her eyes held the commanding power to sway a galaxy but, at that moment, it was focused entirely on two little, guilty Asari children.

“Di and I were just playing,” Athena started. She was still trying to come up with a story when Diana jumped in.

“We wanted Vaky to play My Lil Varren wit us! The drew Twily but I want Ass… asses… Assut Jack.” Diana stuttered as she tried to pronounce the full name of the character.

Athena’s giggles cut through her thoughts as Shepard tried to connect the dots between the cutesy children’s show and how their family pet had turned into a mess of scribbles. “Care to share what’s so funny?”

Athena pursed her lips, fully intent on staying quiet. However, the Commander’s will was stronger. “Di said ‘ass’.” Another round of giggles followed, this time coming from both children.

A moment later, Shepard’s laughter echoed along the walls and her stern demeanor deflated. Athena and Diana looked at each other then back at their father. By this point, Shepard had tears in her eyes. She gasped for breath and tried to compose herself. The whole situation was ridiculous.

“So… does this mean that we’re not in trouble?” Athena asked timidly. She fluttered her eyelashes and looked up at her father with hopeful varren-pup eyes.

Shepard chuckled for a few more seconds then cleared her throat. “Oh no. You’re still grounded. Both of you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I put a lot of thought into this (kind of)!  
> Twilight Sparkle = Twilight Nova (Yellow + Blue)  
> Applejack = Assault Jack (Red + white)  
> Rainbow Dash = Rainbow Lash (Rainbow + Blue)  
> Pinkie Pie = Pinkie Pull (Pink)  
> Fluttershy = Stasis Shy (Gray + Red)  
> Rarity = Sentry (Gray + Brown)  
> Nightmare Moon = Nightmare Maw (Gray + Black)  
> Princess Celestia = Princess Thessia


	3. Awkward Gay Disaster

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by all the awkward bi/gay disaster stories on Rae's tumblr featuring Lycoris, the Princess of Derp. ^^

“… break at 10 but … until 15 … Corrie, are you listening?” Athena’s forehead creased in a frown. She held her schedule in one hand and Lycoris’ in the other. Shepard had insisted that Athena stay at home for as long as possible prior to leaving for university. Unfortunately, that meant that they hadn't arrived until the day before classes started.

Lycoris blinked, refocusing her eyes. The weather on Thessia was much more humid than that of the climate controlled Citadel and walking around campus made it painfully obvious. However, she wasn’t the only one feeling the effects of planetary weather. Small beads of sweat clung to Athena’s forehead and Lycoris swallowed drily as it rolled down her girlfriend's neck before getting lost in the cleavage of Athena's dress.

Athena followed Lycoris’ gaze and smirked. It was obvious that her lover had been distracted most of the morning. If she were honest, she would say that Lycoris had lost focus the second their parents left the rapid transit station the previous night.

After putting her schedule away, Athena handed Lycoris hers back. She took the opportunity to learn into her lover’s personal space and casually placed a hand around her waist. Blue lips brushed against purple skin as Athena whispered into Lycoris’ crest, “Don’t look now but I think that Asari over there has a crush on you. She’s been staring at us since we arrived.”

“Oh…” Lycoris blushed as Athena’s breath tickled her cheek. It was suddenly feeling a lot hotter than she remembered. “Wait… How do you know she’s looking at _me_? She could be checking _you_ out.”

Athena giggled and gave her most seductive wink. “Maybe you’re right. At least she’s not the only ones.”

Sometimes Lycoris was thankful she had inherited her parent’s skin tone; it helped to hide the blush that quickly took over her entire face. A moment later, Athena’s words finally clicked and she bristled at the implications. She might have been guilty of staring at the beautiful goddess standing next to her but that didn’t mean she liked the idea of others doing it.

Before Lycoris could think of a response, Athena gave her a peck on the cheek and took a step back. “Thanks for walking me to class, Corrie. You should probably get going before you miss yours.”

She could only smile and wave as Athena walked through the double doors and out of sight. Lycoris couldn’t help but glance at where the admiring Asari had been standing moments earlier. It seemed like Athena’s public display of effecting sent the right message and she had moved on.

With a bounce in her step, Lycoris started towards the other side of campus. A wide grin plastered on her face and the world fading around her as she replayed the events of the past 20 hours. Aria and Tevos, along with Shepard and Liara, had helped them move into their new dorm room. Dinner had been emotional, mostly on Shepard’s part, but the night after that was magical. For the first time they didn't need to worry about annoying sisters sneaking around or parents walking in on them. Thanks to Liara’s influence, their room turned out to be an entirely furnished suit with a private bathroom and living space. It was in a wing where children from the older Thessian families lived. Since most of them preferred staying in their family estates, many of the rooms remained empty.

_‘Probably a good thing. It’s a miracle Athena didn’t lose her voice after all that screaming.’_ Lycoris recalled the events of the previous night and became even more lost in her daydream. Before she realized what was happening, the toes of her right foot jammed hard against the front of her shoe. She was falling, in the middle of a flat side walk, where the only thing to trip on were her own two feet.

Lycoris braced for the feel of grainy concrete but it never came. She found herself clutching coarse commando leathers instead. However, her face had collided with something hard and she could feel her lip getting crushed on impact.

“What in Athame’s ass do you think you’re doing?” A rough voice sputtered as equally rough hands pushed Lycoris backwards.

All thoughts of Athena fled from her mind as Lycoris regained her balance. She licked at the blood pooling around her busted lip then mumbled an apology. “Sorry…”

“What was that? Sorry isn’t good enough. You just bumped into Eleya, Star of the Skyball Team. Be more humble, freshman.” The second Asari was shorter and less muscular but wore the same commando uniform as the first.

Lycoris’ good mood was quickly fading and she wasn’t particularly impressed with the encounter. It’s been a while since she’d had to deal with arrogant people like these. Her lips tightened into a scowl, one she had picked up from her father over the years. “I don’t want any trouble so…”

Before she could finish, a third Asari cut her off, “Yo. I think that’s the T’Loak girl.” The other two turned to look at their companion. “Remember my half-sis, Talga? Short, skinny, magenta. You know, the one that ran away with a Volus couple decades back then got dumped when Mom removed her from the family inheritance? She was on Omega while ago and sent me an article about that Eclipse massacre. There was a picture of the T'Loak kid and it looks just like her!”

“Don’t forget the best part about how I took out a squad of mercs before Aria T'Loak even got involved,” Lycoris added drily. She was only partially bluffing. She had technically been in the alleyway when Athena had taken care of the Eclipse mercs.

After a long pause, Eleya spoke. “Let’s get out of here. This isn’t worth our time.” She took a step into Lycoris’ personal space before grudgingly skirting to the side. As she walked off, her two friends followed closely behind, not even casting a glance in the other direction.

Lycoris breathed a sigh of relief. Getting into a fight on the first day of class wasn’t how she wanted to start her university career. Unfortunately, there was no way she would make it on time at this rate. If she hurried, she would only miss the introduction.

“Wait!”

Lycoris groaned at yet another hold up.

“You’re Lycoris, right? Chancellor Tevos’ daughter? I saw you on the news a while ago. I’m Genesa,” A blue-skinned Asari wearing a tank top and short… _really_ _short_ shorts beamed at Lycoris. “I appreciate you getting rid of that creep. Just because Eleya carried Serrice U’s team to victory last year, she thinks she can do anything she wants. How about we grab lunch together sometime? My way of saying thanks.”

“No problem. I’m… I have... friend… class,” Lycoris’ words came out in a rushed mumble. When she noticed she amused look on Genesa’s face, she cleared her through and tried again. “It’s nice to meet you. Thank you but I’m seeing someone already.”

Genesa shrugged but couldn’t hide her disappointed look. “Well, that’s too bad. I can’t say I’m surprised though. Maybe I’ll see you around campus. Oh and you should probably put some Medi-gel on that lip. It looks pretty bad.”

“Um… yeah. I’m already late so I should go.” Lycoris’ stride was faster than normal; both to put distance between the other Asari and so she could arrive at her destination sooner. She mentally slapped herself at the realization that she didn’t even properly say goodbye. Sighing, she activated her Omni-tool, checking for any available Medi-gel.

_‘Great. I used my last one covering that bite mark The left last night.’_ It would be awkward to show up to class with a bruised lip but there was no time to restock. As Lycoris’ thoughts went back to Athena, realization hit her like a truck. _‘I just turned down a girl because I have a girlfriend. Because_ Athena _is my girlfriend.’_

Lycoris was so giddy that she nearly missed walking into the sign as she crossed the road. Or hitting a wall as she rounded the corner. Or knocking over a display of flyers while entering a building.

* * *

She sighed and tried once again to focus on the textbook laying in her lap. When Lycoris returned to the dorms, Athena had demanded an explanation for her disheveled state. Her lip was still throbbing and the afternoon only added to the number of bruises littering her body. It wasn’t uncommon for Lycoris to have an awkward day but there was a difference between a normally awkward day and an _awkwardly disastrous_ day. Today had certainly been one of those _awkwardly disastrous_ days.

Lycoris glanced down at the clock on her Omni-tool. Athena had left to get them dinner over half an hour ago. Although she had insisted on going with her, she was relieved that Athena had forbidden it. She wasn’t sure if she could manage the entire trip without embarrassing herself further, especially in Athena’s company.

_Bzzt_ … Lycoris looked down at the name display of her Omni-tool and instantly switched on the holo. “Hey, Dad.”

Aria’s usual bored facade projected above Lycoris’ arm. Her eyes darted around for a second and Lycoris could only assume Aria was checking out the holo being projected on the other side. When Aria spoke again, there was a glint of worry in her voice. “I heard that you’ve already made a name for yourself. From the looks of it, you came out in one piece.”

“What are you talking about?” Lycoris frowned. She had noticed that she’d gotten more and more stares as the day dragged on but she hadn’t thought much of it at the time.

“That Asari you go into a fight with. She’s some big shot on campus, right?”

“How did you know about that?”

“Don’t question my network, kid I have informants everywhere.”

“Dad… are you _spying_ on me?” Lycoris’ eyes narrowed. She knew that her father liked to keep tabs on everything, sometimes not through the most honest of means, but if Aria had put agents into the university, she needed to know.

Aria returned Lycoris’ stare for a long minute, unwilling to give out her secrets. When she saw the hurt in her daughter’s eyes, she caved. “… fine. T’Soni told me. You don’t need to be an information broker to get wind of the hottest rumor on campus. She is the president of the university after all.”

Lycoris sighed. She hoped that the afternoon’s events would have blown over by now. Unfortunately, they seemed to be only spreading further and getting bolder with each retelling. “I didn’t beat her up… She kind of just left after one of her friends recognized who I am.”

“At least your reputation precedes you. Ow! Thea, what was that for…?” Aria winced as a hand swatted at her shoulder.

Tevos’ face peek out at the edges of the holo. She smiled at the image of her daughter while Aria readjusted the angle. “Corrie, what your father is trying to say is that we’re proud that you found a non-violent way to resolve your problem.”

Aria muttered something under her breath but it was too quiet for the Omni-tool to pick up.

“Thanks, Mom.” Lycoris returned Tevos’ smile. Although Aria didn’t say it in words, Lycoris could tell that her father was glad nothing serious happened. “I’ll try to stay out of trouble.”

The front door to the suit whooshed open and the room filled with the delicious smell of take out. Athena called out to her girlfriend, and now roommate, from the dining area.

“The’s back with dinner. I should probably go. I love you guys,” then slightly quieter so that only her parents would hear, “I miss you.”

“We love you too, sweet heart. Make sure to take care and don’t distract Athena from her studies too much.” Tevos waved to the holo as if Lycoris were standing in front of her.

“I will. Call you soon! Bye!” Lycoris ended the call and followed the smell of food. Despite everything that’s happened that day, and everything that’s going to come out of the crazy rumor, it’s been a pretty memorable day. She would have dinner with Athena and later they would fall asleep in each other’s arms. All of the awkwardness was worth it just to get the girl in the end.

**Author's Note:**

>  **AN:** It's been well over a decade since I've written fanfiction so I'm a bit rusty with my writing. I apologize for any mistake ahead of time. Hopefully I can get back into the swing of things and do these once in a while. Constructive criticism and feedback is always welcomed.


End file.
